Choir Review - Bach Children's Chorus

Earlier in the semester I took a look at the Bach Children's Chorus. Here is a copy of the handout that was distributed in class. 

Bach Children’s Chorus

The Organization

-founded in 1987 by Linda Beaupré

-age 6-24

-rehearse at Scarborough Bluffs United Church

-200 youth comprising 4 choirs (3 for unchanged voices, 1 SATB)

-known as “Company in Residence” at the Toronto Centre for the Arts

-known for “musical sound and professional approach”

-objective: to develop a love of singing through enjoyable learning and performance experience

Choir I – 6-9 years old, rehearse 1hr/week

Choir II – 9-13 years old, rehearse 1.5hrs/week

Choir III – 10-17 years old, rehearse 2.25hrs/week

Bach Chamber Youth Choir – 13-24 years old, rehearse 2hrs/week

-education includes theory and sight singing

-10 min/week private vocal coaching sessions are offered to singers in Choirs I, II, and III

-each choir participates in at least 3 major performances per season (September-May)

Linda Beaupré

-professional singer with the Elmer Iseler Singers and The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

-also conducted the Guelph Youth Singers from 1991-2013

-co-author of A Young Person’s Journey with Jean Ashworth Bartle and Eileen Baldwin – a series of theory and ear-training workbooks and CDs

-adjudicator and clinician

Repertoire Recommendations

-repertoire lists from the 1998-2004 seasons are available online

-the choir performs selections from a number of different styles

For The Beauty of the Earth – fairly easy, 2 voices (SA), a fairly easy piece that can aid in the development of musicality (phrasing, blend, expressivity)

If I Got My Ticket – a good piece for practicing a cappella singing and therefore tuning, I really like the spiritual feel and the male solo

I’m On My Way – like For the Beauty of the Earth, this piece is a good selection for working on phrasing, expressivity, diction, and blend

Agnus Dei (A Little Jazz Mass) – a fairly simple SATB piece, I like the blues/jazz feel, since the text is pretty repetitive, it’s a good piece for working on vowel shapes and sounds that are held for a while

Hymn to Freedom – a simple SSA piece that has a gospel feel in 4, but the swinging rhythm can be a bit of a challenge

For More Information

www.bachchildrenschorus.ca